System and method for translating insurance-related data

ABSTRACT

A computer system includes a processor; and a memory storage device in communication with the processor. The processor is adapted to: receive via a computer communications network a user identification and an identification of an electronic file having user-generated insurance-related data; provide an output signal for display to the user a prompt for the user to provide mapping data mapping a plurality of insurance-related data fields data identifiers in the user-data electronic file; receive mapping data in response to the prompt; access the user electronic file; employing the received mapping data, map data elements identified in the user-data electronic file, to a document in a predetermined format; verify that the received mapped data constitutes complete data to submit in connection with an insurance transaction; and provide an output signal including data constituting the document in a predetermined format to a system for further processing in accordance with an insurance transaction.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to computer systems, and particularly tocomputer systems for translating and transmitting insurance-relateddata.

BACKGROUND

In the insurance field, data is generated and stored in a wide varietyof formats. For example, insurance agencies and brokers may obtaininformation from their clients in telephone calls and personal meetingsto meet requirements for submission of information to carriers forquotes and renewals. Such information may be extensive in nature andtime consuming to obtain. The data may be stored in a variety offormats, such as various personal computer office software spreadsheetand database formats, or in insurance field specific formats. Insurancecompanies that receive such data may have a requirement to format thedata in a predetermined format. For example, the ACORD XML format is anXML format specific to the insurance industry. Individual insurancecompanies may have varying requirements for format and data types inorder to prepare quotes and engage in other insurance transactions. As aresult of the variation in formats, data that is stored in one formatoften must be manually rekeyed or manually reformatted for use byanother entity, resulting in unnecessary expense and risk of errors.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment, a computer includes a processor and a memory storagedevice in communication with the processor. The processor is adapted to:receive via a computer communications network a user identification andan identification of a user electronic file in a remote storagelocation, the user electronic file being in any one of a plurality offormats, and having data related to a request for an insurance quote;provide an output signal for display to the user on a display deviceconnected to the processor via the computer communications network aprompt for the user to provide mapping data which maps data fields forrequests for insurance quotes to data identifiers in the user electronicfile; receive mapping data in response to the prompt; access the userelectronic file; employing the received mapping data, map data elements,the elements including at least a name of the proposed insured and anaddress of the proposed insured, identified in the user electronic file,to an ACORD XML compliant format document; determine whether the mappeddata elements constitute all required data for submission of a requestfor an insurance quote; and if the mapped data elements do notconstitute all required data, prompt the user for further data;otherwise provide an output signal communicating the ACORD XML compliantformat document to a quote evaluation system.

In an embodiment, a computer system includes a processor; and a memorystorage device in communication with the processor. The processor isadapted to: receive via a computer communications network a useridentification and an identification of an electronic file havinguser-generated insurance-related data; provide an output signal fordisplay to the user a prompt for the user to provide mapping data whichmaps insurance-related data fields in the user electronic file; receivemapping data in response to the prompt; access the user electronic file;employing the received mapping data, map data elements identified in theuser-data electronic file, to a document in a predetermined format;verify that the received mapped data constitutes complete data to submitin connection with an insurance transaction; and provide an outputsignal including data constituting the document in a predeterminedformat to a system for further processing in accordance with aninsurance transaction.

In an embodiment, a computer system includes a processor; and a memorystorage device in communication with the processor. The processor isadapted to: receive via a computer communications network a useridentification and an identification of a user electronic file havinginsurance-related data; access from the memory storage device mappingdata associated with the user identification, the mapping dataidentifying a format of the user electronic file and mapping between aplurality of insurance-related data fields and data identifiers in theuser electronic file; access the user electronic file; employing theaccessed mapping data, map data elements identified in the userelectronic file, to a document in a predetermined format; verify thatthe mapped data constitutes complete data to submit in connection withan insurance transaction; and provide an output signal including dataconstituting the document in a predetermined format to a system forfurther processing in accordance with an insurance transaction.

In an embodiment, a computer-implemented method for translatinginsurance-related data includes receiving by a processor via a computercommunications network a user identification and insurance related data;providing by the processor an output signal for display to the user aprompt for the user to provide mapping data mapping a plurality ofinsurance-related data fields to data identifiers in the user electronicfile; receiving by the processor mapping data in response to the prompt;accessing by the processing the user insurance-related data; employingthe received mapping data, mapping by the processor the userinsurance-related data, and storing the mapped data in a data storagedevice in a document in a predetermined format; verifying by theprocessor that the received mapped data constitutes complete data tosubmit in connection with an insurance transaction; and providing by theprocessor an output signal including data constituting the document in apredetermined format to a system for further processing in accordancewith an insurance transaction.

In an embodiment, a computer-implemented method for translatinginsurance-related data includes receiving by a processor a useridentification and user-provided insurance-related data; accessing bythe processor from a memory storage device mapping data associated withthe user identification, the mapping data identifying a format of theuser electronic file and mapping between a plurality ofinsurance-related data fields and data fields in the user-providedinsurance-related data; accessing by the processor from the memorystorage device a file having the user-provided insurance-related data;employing the accessed mapping data, mapping by the processor dataelements identified in the user electronic file, to a document in apredetermined format, and storing the document in the predeterminedformat in the memory storage device; verifying by the processor that themapped data constitutes complete data to submit in connection with aninsurance transaction; and providing by the processor an output signalincluding data constituting the document in a predetermined format to asystem for further processing in accordance with an insurancetransaction.

In an embodiment, a computer-readable medium has instructions thereon,which instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processorto: receive via a computer communications network a user identificationand an identification of a user electronic file, the user electronicfile being in any one of a plurality of structured formats, and havinginsurance-related data; provide an output signal for display to the usera prompt for the user to provide mapping data mapping a plurality ofinsurance-related data fields data identifiers in the user electronicfile; receive mapping data in response to the prompt; access the userelectronic file; employing the received mapping data, map data elementsidentified in the user electronic file, to a document in a predeterminedformat; verify that the received mapped data constitutes complete datato submit in connection with an insurance transaction; and provide anoutput signal including data constituting the document in apredetermined format to a system for further processing in accordancewith an insurance transaction.

In an embodiment, a computer-readable medium has instructions thereonfor translating insurance-related data, which instructions, whenexecuted by a processor, cause the processor to: receive via a computercommunications network a user identification and an identification of auser electronic file, the user electronic file being in any one of aplurality of structured formats, and having insurance-related data;provide an output signal for display to the user a prompt for the userto provide mapping data mapping a plurality of insurance-related datafields data identifiers in the user electronic file; receive mappingdata in response to the prompt; access the user electronic file;employing the received mapping data, map data elements identified in theuser electronic file, to a document in a predetermined format; verifythat the received mapped data constitutes complete data to submit inconnection with an insurance transaction; and provide an output signalincluding data constituting the document in a predetermined format to asystem for further processing in accordance with an insurancetransaction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary computer network forimplementation of a method and system of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary computer system for use inthe embodiments of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a process flow diagram illustrating steps in an embodiment ofa method of the invention.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary screen display prompting a user to select atransaction type in a method and system of the invention.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary screen display prompting a user to upload a filein a method and system of the invention.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary screen display prompting a user to map datafields in a user-supplied documents to system data fields for aninsurance transaction in an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is an exemplary screen display showing mapping between fields ina user-supplied document and system data fields for an insurancetransaction in an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a process flow diagram of a process of mapping data for use inan insurance transaction in an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 is an exemplary screen display showing a result of predictivemapping with user options to confirm or clear the predictive mapping,displayed on a client device by a system according to an embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 10 is an exemplary partial menu arrangement in an embodiment of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It is to be understood that the figures and descriptions of the presentinvention have been simplified to illustrate elements that are relevantfor a clear understanding of the present invention, while eliminating,for the purpose of clarity, many other elements found in typicalcomputer systems and methods for translation and communication of datarelated to insurance.

Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary network configuration is shown.Network 100 connects various computer systems and devices. Network 100may be or include any type of network, including a local area network(LAN), a wide area network (WAN), an intranet, the Internet, a publicswitched telephone network (PSTN) or other network. Network 100 mayemploy any suitable data protocols.

Various devices and networks may be in communication with network 100.In embodiments, client device 170, a desktop computer system, clientdevice 172, a notebook computer system, and client device 174, apersonal digital assistant, and client device 176, a smart phone, are incommunication with network 100. Client devices 170, 172, 174 are merelyexemplary. Local area network (LAN) 160 is an exemplary network of anentity such as an insurance agency. LAN 160 has in communicationtherewith desktop computer systems 164, 166, and file server 162. Agencymanagement platform software may run on file server 162 and beaccessible by computer systems 164, 166 in a client-serverconfiguration.

LAN 120 may be a network of an insurance company, by way of example.Firewall unit 125 may be configured to provide data security serviceswith respect to systems and networks, LAN 120 and the devices incommunication therewith. Firewall unit 125 may be a stand alone deviceincluding one or more processors, data storage devices, and input andoutput connections. Server 130 may serve as a front-end web server thatformats and serves web pages to client devices running browser software.In an embodiment, a processor of server 130 may execute steps of amethod of translating insurance-related data between formats. In anembodiment, server 130 may function as a web front-end for anotherdevice or system, such as server 150, which may execute steps of amethod of translating insurance-related data between formats. Server 150may serve as a data translation module. The term module, as used herein,includes computer hardware, including processors and memory devices,having loaded program code causing the processor and other devices toperform particular functions. Mainframe computer system 140 may be asystem that receives data in a converted format, and performs functionssuch as evaluation of proposals for property and casualty insurancecoverage.

In embodiments, communication between server 150 and third partiessubmitting data for conversion may be via a telephone network, such as apublic switched telephone network, a voice over Internet protocolnetwork, or a combination of a PSTN and VoIP network. By way of example,data may be submitted in a structured fax format and transmitted fromthird party fax machine 182 via telephone network 180 to insurancecompany fax machine 148. Insurance company fax machine 148 may beconfigured to create a digital image of the received fax, e.g., in animage format such as pdf, jpg or tiff, and transmit the received digitalimage via LAN 120 to server 150. Server 150 may perform mappingfunctions from the images of the received fax to a desired format. Ifthe data in the received fax omits required data, contains obviouserrors, or otherwise triggers a rule requiring a response, server 150may be configured to provide an output in the form of a responsive faxand instructions to insurance company fax machine 148 to transmit aresponsive fax to a telephone number corresponding to third party faxmachine 182.

In an embodiment, a third party may employ voice telephonecommunications to an interactive voice response system (IVR) for thesubmission of data. Third party voice telephone 184 may be employed by auser to reach, via telephone network 180, IVR server 152. IVR server 152may prompt the user to provide identification information via voice orkeypad, and then prompt the user to provide data corresponding torequired data for a selected insurance transaction, such as submissionof applicant data to request a proposal for property or casualtycoverage. IVR server 152 may communicate with server 150 via LAN 120.Server 150 may receive data from IVR server in a suitable format, andtranslate the data to a format suitable for submission to other systems,such as an ACORD XML format. Server 150 may provide data indicative ofprompts that IVR server 152 converts to voice prompts.

In embodiments, a network or data processing network, such as network100, may be employed which may include a plurality of individualnetworks, such as a wireless network and a landline based network, eachof which may include a plurality of servers, individual workstations orpersonal computers. Additionally, as those skilled in the art willappreciate, one or more LANs may be included where a LAN may comprise aplurality of intelligent workstations coupled to a host processor. Thenetworks may also include mainframe computers or servers, such as agateway computer or application server. A gateway computer serves as apoint of entry into each network. The gateway may be preferably coupledto another network by means of one or more communications links. Thegateway may also be directly coupled to one or more workstations using acommunications link. The gateway computer may also be coupled to astorage device for storing information related to translation of data,such as user identifications, user-specific mapping between differentdata formats, requirements for data submission for one or more types ofinsurance transactions, as well as other data. Further, the gateway maybe directly or indirectly coupled to one or more workstations. Thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that the gateway computer may belocated geographically remote from the network, and similarly, theworkstations may be located geographically remote from the networksand/or network servers. The client devices or workstations may connectto the wireless network using a networking protocol such as theTransmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (“TCP/IP”) over a numberof alternative connection media, such as cellular phone, radio frequencynetworks, satellite networks, etc. The wireless network may connect tothe gateway using a network connection a such as TCP (TransmissionControl Protocol) or UDP (User Datagram Protocol) over IP, X.25, FrameRelay, ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network), PSTN (Public SwitchedTelephone Network), etc.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a schematic diagram illustrates an exemplarycomputer system for use in the embodiment of FIG. 1. In computer system200, processor 210 executes instructions contained in programs such asdata mapping program 212. Programs may be stored on suitable media, suchas optical or magnetic disks, fixed disks with magnetic storage (harddrives), tapes accessed by tape drives, and other storage media.Processor 210 communicates, such as through bus 202 and/or other datachannels, with communications link 205 and memory device 220, receivesdata from user inputs such as pointing device 215 and keyboard 230, andprovides data to outputs such as display 225. Memory device 220 isconfigured to exchange data with processor 210, and may store programscontaining processor-executable instructions, and values of variablesfor use by such programs. User input may be provided at pointing device215 and keyboard 230, as well as other optional inputs, such as touchscreens. In an embodiment, inputs may be received via other userinterfaces and workstations connected via wired or wirelesscommunications and via networked communications, such as via LAN 240, toprocessor 210. Other output devices may be in communication withprocessor 210, including local and networked printers and speakers. Byway of non-limiting example, one or more programs may includeinstructions causing processor 210 to provide output signals prompting auser to provide data relating to mapping of selected data betweenvarious data formats. Human operators may provide inputs in response tosuch prompts, and the inputs may be received by processor 210; processor210 may cause data contained in such responses to be stored in asuitable format, such as in one or more database programs, in memorydevice 220, or in networked storage devices, such as data storage 250.Communications link 205 may communicate with remote sources ofinformation, and with systems for implementing instructions output byprocessor 210, via LAN 240. LAN 240 is merely exemplary, andcommunication may be by one or more of suitable communication methods,including over wired or wireless local area networks and wide areanetworks, and over communications between networks, including over theInternet. Any suitable data and communication protocols may be employed.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a processor, such as a processor of server 150,receives 305, via a computer communications network, such as LAN 120,data indicative of a request to commence a data translation transaction.The processor may receive 310 via the computer communications network auser identification and insurance related data. The processor mayprovide 315 an output signal for display to the user a prompt for theuser to provide mapping data mapping insurance-related data fields todata identifiers in a user-electronic file. The processor may receive320 mapping data in response to the prompt. The processor may access 325the user insurance-related data. The processor may employ 330 thereceived mapping data to map the user insurance-related data. Theprocessor may store 335 the mapped data in a data storage device in adocument in a predetermined format. The processor may verify 340 thatthe received mapped data constitutes complete data to submit inconnection with an insurance transaction. The processor may provide 345an output signal including data constituting the document in apredetermined format to a system for further processing in accordancewith an insurance transaction.

Referring now to FIG. 4, an exemplary screen 400 is shown provided to auser after login. The user is prompted to select a type of insurancetransaction. Exemplary insurance transactions shown are Submit customerinformation for property quote 405, Submit customer information forvehicle quote 410 and Submit property schedule 415. A user may select aradio button 420 and the enter button to respond to the prompt andprovide data indicative of a selection of a type of insurancetransaction.

Screen 400 is merely exemplary. Numerous other transactions arepossible. Referring to FIG. 10, a series of menus may be presented toselect a transaction. In a first menu 1005, the system may provide tothe user device for display a selection of a property & casualty menu, ahealth menu, a life and annuity menu and a surety menu. Upon receipt ofthe user selection from the user device, the system may present theselected one of the second level menus 1010 for display on the userdevice. Second level menus may include a property/casualty second levelmenu 1012, a health second level menu 1014, a life and annuity secondlevel menu 1016, and a surety second level menu 1018. Each second levelmenu indicates a category of insurance product. Upon receipt by a systemof a user selection of a second level menu item, a system may present tothe user a menu from the third level menu 1020. Each menu in the thirdlevel may be for a particular category of insurance product, such asautomotive, aviation and the like in menu 1022, or automotive,homeowners and inland marine in menu 1024. Corresponding third menus maybe provided for the health, life and annuity, and surety categories.Upon receipt by a system of a user selection of a third level menu item,a system may present to the user a menu from the fourth level menu 1030.The example presented here is a fourth menu level identifying particulartransactions. In response to receipt by a system of a user selection ofa transaction from a fourth level menu 1030, the system commences themapping process. The number and arrangement of menus is merelyexemplary, and may be varied.

Data items may include a wide variety of information, including, forexample for a business owner s policy:

Name of business

Entity type

Address information

Name and addresses of principals

Business type, by SIC code, for example

Date or year started

Date or year started in type of business

Date in current location

Number of employees

Annual payroll

Annual revenue

Identification of personal property items, such as computers and otherequipment

For each location: Address, area occupied, type of construction, year ofconstruction and number of floors

Limits of liability coverage sought

Limit of building coverage sought

Limit of employee dishonesty coverage sought

In submitting data for a new quote for a Business Owner s Policy, theremay be 50 to 75 fields to be mapped.

Referring now to FIG. 5, an exemplary screen provided in response to auser selection of a type of transaction is shown. The user is promptedto identify a file to be mapped by providing a path and file name in aweb form at block 510 or may launch a tool to browse data accessiblefrom the user s system at 515. Once the path and file name have beenidentified, the user may select upload file 520 to cause the file to beuploaded to a server by any suitable protocol, such as http post.

Referring now to FIG. 6, an exemplary screen provided in response touser upload of a file for mapping is shown. The server system receivesthe file, determines a file type, such as from a file name extension,and launches either an application suitable for opening the file or asuitable viewer program. A view of an exemplary file is provided inwindow 610. The exemplary file is a spreadsheet, and may be an Excelformat file, for example. In area 620, the system displays buttonsassociated with required fields associated with the selected insurancetransaction type. A user may select a required field, by selectingbutton 622 for insured entity type, for example, and then position acursor on a column in window 610, and select the column, such as bydouble clicking on a mouse, to select the column to correspond to therequired field. In this example, required fields represented by button624 for insured name, button 626 for property street number and button628 for property street name correspond to columns shown in window 610.Button 629 for property tax account does not correspond to a columnshown in window 610. After selecting the available required fields, theuser may select Continue 640 to proceed. The system may then display, asshown in FIG. 7, a grid 700 showing in column 702 the required fieldsand in column 704 the names, extracted from the user s identifieddocument, of the columns identified by the user employing the interfaceshown in FIG. 6. In column 706 a system generated error message may bedisplayed. The error message may be generated based on a matching rulerun by the server. For example, a rule may provide that certain titlemismatches are flagged, such as a title of zip code for a user documentcolumn in a required field for street name.

An error message may be generated if the system determines, such as byidentifying an absence of data for a required field, that the provideddata is incomplete, with respect to a complete set of data required forthe selected insurance transaction. The error message may prompt theuser to supply a particular field of data in an updated electronic file,for example. The system may execute business rules that require accessto other databases for confirmation of furnished information. Forexample, an address may be compared to a geographical informationsystems database to determine if a street address corresponds to astreet and a range of address numbers in a given zip code. For anautomotive policy, data concerning a vehicle, such as vehicleidentification number, tag number, make, model and year, may be comparedto data in a vehicle identification number database. In response toperforming a comparison and identifying one or more discrepancies, amessage may be caused to be displayed on a user device highlighting dataitems that have discrepancies. The system may have a library of messagesthat are returned according to rules depending on the discrepancy. Themessages may state, for example, Zip code and street address are notconsistent. The message may contain an alternative, such as: Do you meanzip code 12345? For message may state, for example: VIN numberincorrect. In an embodiment, an input field may be provided in a userinterface that permits a user to enter data which is received by thesystem and then used to update the user file. Alternatively, the usermay update the user file on the user s system, and then attempt tocomplete the mapping.

A user may use the Go Back feature of FIG. 7 to return to the display ofFIG. 6 and correct mapping errors. The user may then use the Continuefeature of FIG. 6, which causes the system to update the grid 700 andredisplay FIG. 7. If the document is missing required fields, in anembodiment, the user will not be able to continue beyond FIG. 7. Themapping data may be saved by the server system, and the user may, aftercreating a modified document including any previously absent requiredfields, upload the modified document and repeat the process. The mappingdata may identify the file format from which the data is taken, andassociate each required or optional field of the system with a column orother data element in the user-furnished document.

The display of FIG. 6 may include a document provided to the serversystem by other methods, such as by e-mail attachment. The documentdisplayed in FIG. 6 may be generated from a structured fax received at aserver.

In an embodiment, the system may, upon receiving the user electronicfile, determine a format for the file, and then compare column headersor other suitable identifying information to a dictionary of identifiersthat correspond to names of required fields. The system may thendetermine a predictive mapping, which is stored in a mapping data file,and is provided to the user, such as in the format of the grid of FIG.9. In FIG. 9, column 902 displays required fields. Column 904 displaysfields from the user data that have been predictively mapped to thecorresponding required fields of column 902. Buttons 910 serve as inputsthat permit the user to provide verification to the system of thepredictive mapping, and buttons 920 serve as inputs that permit the userto clear the mapping. In response to clearing a mapping, the system maydisplay a menu of alternative user fields for user selection. The inputsare received by the system and stored in an updated mapping data file.

In an embodiment, user data may be provided in a text document format.The text document may be formatted, for example, with field identifiersfollowed by punctuation symbols then followed by data in a line of text.

In an embodiment, user data may be provided via an interactive voicerecognition system. The IVR system may prompt the user to provide datacorresponding to each required field, and then convert the receivedvoice data to a suitable format.

If all of the fields have been mapped, the system may then proceed tostore the mapping data in a database in association with dataidentifying the user. The system may also employ the mapping data to mapthe data from the user file to a predetermined format, such as ACORDXML, and pass the mapped data to another system, such as a quotegeneration system, for further processing. Prior to passing the mappeddata, the system may apply rules to the mapped data. Such rules mayinclude, for example, comparing mapped data in a field to permittedvalues. The rules may include verifying whether the received data is inan appropriate format; for example, if a U.S. zip code field isdetermined to contain characters other than numbers, the format is notappropriate, and the verifying step may result in a prompt to the userfor corrected data. Such rules may include comparing mapped data toexternal sources of data, such as seeking to verify address data againstgeographical databases. If an error is found, the user may be promptedto supply corrected data, such as by uploading a corrected file in theuser s format.

A method relating to receipt, subsequent to creation of a mapping file,of a user identification and further user data in a further user filewill be explained with reference to FIG. 8. Referring to FIG. 8, in anembodiment, a processor, such as a processor of server 150 of FIG. 1,receives 805 a user identification and user-provided insurance-relateddata. The user identification may be received via secure website logon,in an e-mail, as data in a fax that has been digitized by OCR or otherprocesses, or otherwise. The user-provided insurance-related data may becontained in one or more electronic files that are uploaded, e-mailed orotherwise made accessible to the processor. The processor accesses 810from a memory storage device mapping data associated with the useridentification. In an embodiment, the user may be prompted to supplyadditional data, such as a further password. If there is more than oneset of mapping data associated with the user, the user may be requiredto specify the set of mapping data, such as by identifying a type ofinsurance transaction. The mapping data identifies a format of the userelectronic file and maps between a insurance-related data fields used bythe system and data fields in the user-provided insurance-related data.The processor accesses 815 from a memory storage device a file havingthe user-provided insurance-related data. Employing the accessed mappingdata, the processor maps 820 data elements identified in the userelectronic file, to a document in a predetermined format, and stores 825the document in the predetermined format in a memory storage device. Theprocessor verifies 830 that the mapped data constitutes complete data tosubmit in connection with an insurance transaction. The processorprovides 835 an output signal including data constituting the documentin a predetermined format, to a system for further processing inaccordance with an insurance transaction.

In an embodiment, the process flow of FIG. 8 may be performed by aprocessor of smart phone 176 of FIG. 1 accessing and executinginstructions stored in a computer-readable memory of smart phone 176.The instructions may be embodied in an application program that may beexecuted by the processor of smart phone 176.

Embodiments of the present invention are operable with computer storageproducts or computer readable media that contain program code forcausing a processor to perform the various computer-implementedoperations. The computer-readable medium is any data storage device thatcan store data which can thereafter be read by a computer system such asa microprocessor. The media and program code may be those speciallydesigned and constructed for the purposes of the present invention, orthey may be of the kind well known to those of ordinary skill in thecomputer software arts. Examples of computer-readable media include, butare not limited to magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, andmagnetic tape; optical media such as CD-ROM disks; magneto-opticalmedia; and specially configured hardware devices such asapplication-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logicdevices (PLDs), and ROM and RAM devices. Examples of program codeinclude both machine code, as produced, for example, by a compiler, orfiles containing higher-level code that may be executed using aninterpreter. Steps in the computer-implemented methods may beimplemented in processors running software stored locally, and/or inconfigurations such as application service providers, in which certainsteps are executed on processors communicating with one another over anetwork such as the Internet. Either stand-alone computers orclient/server systems, or any combination thereof, may be employed.

A system in accordance with the invention may include meanscorresponding to each step in each method described herein. Each meansmay be implemented by a processor executing instructions contained inprograms which may be stored in a storage medium, such as a magnetic oroptical storage medium. The instructions may, when executed by aprocessor, cause the processor to execute algorithms disclosed inassociation with each step. It will be appreciated that any of the stepsin the methods in accordance with the invention described herein may beso implemented.

An exemplary advantage of a system and method in accordance with anembodiment is that translating of insurance data from one format toanother is performed without the need to re-enter the data or to providemapping data each time a similar file is provided.

While the foregoing invention has been described with reference to theabove embodiments, various modifications and changes can be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, all suchmodifications and changes are considered to be within the scope of theappended claims.

1. A computer system for translating insurance-related data, comprising:a processor; a memory storage device in communication with theprocessor; the processor adapted to: receive via a computercommunications network a user identification and an identification of auser electronic file in a remote storage location, the user electronicfile being in any one of a plurality of formats, and having data relatedto a request for an insurance quote; provide an output signal fordisplay to the user on a display device connected to the processor viathe computer communications network a prompt for the user to providemapping data mapping a plurality of data fields classifying data forrequests for insurance quotes to data identifiers in the user electronicfile; receive mapping data in response to the prompt; access the userelectronic file; employing the received mapping data, map data elements,the elements including at least a name of the proposed insured and anaddress of the proposed insured, identified in the user electronic file,to an ACORD XML compliant format document; determine whether the mappeddata elements constitute all required data for submission of a requestfor an insurance quote; and if the mapped data elements do notconstitute all required data, prompt the user for further data;otherwise provide an output signal communicating the ACORD XML compliantformat document to a quote evaluation system.
 2. The system of claim 1,wherein the plurality of formats comprise text document formats,spreadsheet formats, database formats and XML formats.
 3. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the processor is further adapted to, prior to promptingthe user for mapping data, access the user electronic file, anddetermine a predictive mapping of data, and wherein the prompt for theuser to provide mapping data comprises prompts for verification of thepredictive mapping.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the determining apredictive mapping of data comprises determining a format of the userelectronic file and comparing data in the user electronic file to adictionary of identifiers.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein theprocessor is further adapted to store in the memory storage device themapping data and an association between the mapping data and the useridentification, and responsive to a subsequent receipt of useridentification and a further user file identification, access thefurther user file and map the data in the further user file to ACORD XMLformat.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is furtheradapted to apply rules to the mapped data, and to prompt a user forcorrected data if a rule is violated.
 7. A computer system fortranslating insurance-related data, comprising: a processor; and amemory storage device in communication with the processor; the processoradapted to: receive via a computer communications network a useridentification and an identification of an electronic file havinguser-generated insurance-related data; provide an output signal fordisplay to the user a prompt for the user to provide mapping datamapping a plurality of insurance-related data fields data identifiers inthe user-data electronic file; receive mapping data in response to theprompt; access the user electronic file; employing the received mappingdata, map data elements identified in the user-data electronic file, toa document in a predetermined format; verify that the received mappeddata constitutes complete data to submit in connection with an insurancetransaction; and provide an output signal including data constitutingthe document in a predetermined format to a system for furtherprocessing in accordance with an insurance transaction.
 8. The computersystem of claim 7, wherein the receiving of the identification of theelectronic file comprises receiving via e-mail.
 9. The computer systemof claim 8, wherein the receiving of the identification of theelectronic file comprises receiving the electronic file via e-mail as anattachment to an e-mail.
 10. The computer system of claim 7, wherein thereceiving of the identification of the electronic file comprisesreceiving via http post.
 11. The computer system of claim 7, wherein thepredetermined format is ACORD XML.
 12. The computer system of claim 7,further comprising a firewall unit, wherein the processor receives theuser identification and the identification of the user electronic filevia the firewall unit.
 13. The computer system of claim 5, wherein theverifying comprises determining whether the received data includes datain an appropriate format for each of the data fields.
 14. A computersystem for translating insurance-related data, comprising: a processor;and a memory storage device in communication with the processor; theprocessor adapted to: receive via a computer communications network auser identification and an identification of a user electronic filehaving insurance-related data; access from the memory storage devicemapping data associated with the user identification, the mapping dataidentifying a format of the user electronic file and mapping between aplurality of insurance-related data fields and data identifiers in theuser electronic file; access the user electronic file; employing theaccessed mapping data, map data elements identified in the userelectronic file, to a document in a predetermined format; verify thatthe mapped data constitutes complete data to submit in connection withan insurance transaction; and provide an output signal including dataconstituting the document in a predetermined format to a system forfurther processing in accordance with an insurance transaction.
 15. Thecomputer system of claim 14, wherein the processor is further adaptedto, in response to determining that the mapped data does not constitutecomplete data to submit in connection with an insurance transaction,provide an output signal having data indicative of an identification ofan incomplete nature of the mapped data.
 16. The computer system ofclaim 14, wherein the transaction is a request for a quote.
 17. Acomputer-implemented method for translating insurance-related data,comprising: receiving by a processor via a computer communicationsnetwork a user identification and insurance related data; providing bythe processor an output signal for display to the user a prompt for theuser to provide mapping data mapping a plurality of insurance-relateddata fields to data identifiers in the user electronic file; receivingby the processor mapping data in response to the prompt; accessing bythe processing the user insurance-related data; employing the receivedmapping data, mapping by the processor the user insurance-related data,and storing the mapped data in a data storage device in a document in apredetermined format; verifying by the processor that the receivedmapped data constitutes complete data to submit in connection with aninsurance transaction; and providing by the processor an output signalincluding data constituting the document in a predetermined format to asystem for further processing in accordance with an insurancetransaction.
 18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, whereinthe receiving the user identification comprises receiving the useridentification via a firewall unit.
 19. The computer-implemented methodof claim 17, wherein the user data is received via fax.
 20. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the user data isreceived via interactive voice recognition.
 21. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 17, wherein the user data is received via electronicmail.
 22. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the userdata is received via web form.
 23. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 17, wherein the user data is received via http post.
 24. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the insurancetransaction is a request for a quote.
 25. A computer-implemented methodfor translating insurance-related data, comprising: receiving by aprocessor a user identification and user-provided insurance-relateddata; accessing by the processor from a memory storage device mappingdata associated with the user identification, the mapping dataidentifying a format of the user electronic file and mapping between aplurality of insurance-related data fields and data fields in theuser-provided insurance-related data; accessing by the processor fromthe memory storage device a file having the user-providedinsurance-related data; employing the accessed mapping data, mapping bythe processor data elements identified in the user electronic file, to adocument in a predetermined format, and storing the document in thepredetermined format in the memory storage device; verifying by theprocess that the mapped data constitutes complete data to submit inconnection with an insurance transaction; and providing by the processoran output signal including data constituting the document in apredetermined format to a system for further processing in accordancewith an insurance transaction.
 26. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 25, wherein the receiving the user identification comprisesreceiving the user identification via a firewall unit.
 27. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 25, wherein the user data isreceived via fax.
 28. The computer-implemented method of claim 25,wherein the user data is received via interactive voice recognition. 29.The computer-implemented method of claim 25, wherein the user data isreceived via electronic mail.
 30. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 25, wherein the user data is received via web form.
 31. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 25, wherein the insurancetransaction is a request for a quote.
 32. A computer-readable mediumhaving a plurality of instructions thereon for translatinginsurance-related data, which instructions, when executed by aprocessor, cause the processor to: receive via a computer communicationsnetwork a user identification and an identification of a user electronicfile, the user electronic file being in any one of a plurality ofstructured formats, and having insurance-related data; provide an outputsignal for display to the user a prompt for the user to provide mappingdata mapping a plurality of insurance-related data fields dataidentifiers in the user electronic file; receive mapping data inresponse to the prompt; access the user electronic file; employing thereceived mapping data, map data elements identified in the userelectronic file, to a document in a predetermined format; verify thatthe received mapped data constitutes complete data to submit inconnection with an insurance transaction; and provide an output signalincluding data constituting the document in a predetermined format to asystem for further processing in accordance with an insurancetransaction.
 33. The computer-readable medium of claim 32, wherein theinstructions further cause the processor to access a user-generatedelectronic file.
 34. The computer-readable medium of claim 32, whereinthe instructions further cause the processor to generate an outputsignal having data for prompting a user to provide further mapping data.